


Only The Best

by JayCKx



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Back to Earth, Crying, Cuddling, Fluff, Gay Shiro (Voltron), Hugging, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Reunions, Swearing, anyway when u write 3.5k of a ship after only a few seconds of leaked footage, bc they fiances okie, can u believe its canon babey!!!, kinda lmao they hug a lot, my boy was always to good to be straight lmao anyway i love adam, skdjkdfj im not even v proud of this but i wrote it v fast bc i was excited!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 22:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15374997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayCKx/pseuds/JayCKx
Summary: Everybody flinched and jerked upright, frowning at whoever decided to slam so forcefully into the room. They were illuminated by the bright hallway lights outside, but were tall and lean, with their hands clenched by their sides, panting for breath as if they had ran here from the other side of the campus.Something twisted in Shiro’s throat, and his breath hitched. They were familiar. He knew them.He was on his feet before his mind even caught up to his legs, staring at the figure. They stared back.He saw smooth skin, ruffled, light brown hair, and familiar brown eyes staring right into his own.





	Only The Best

**Author's Note:**

> Hooo boy can u believe gay shiro is canon!!!!! i barely can!!!!!!!! thats my boy!!!!!!!!!!  
> anyways i wrote this after seeing only a few seconds of leaked footage bc i got excited and ive decided i love adam jdkfhsdkfj. this aint gonna be what happens in canon but baby thats what fanfiction is all about!! enjoy :D

When they arrive back on Earth, it’s hectic and chaotic and overwhelming. They aren’t even given a chance to pause for a minute and just breathe in the familiar air, feel the ground of their home beneath their feet, to look at the blue sky. No, they land at the Garrison and are immediately pulled into a meeting about who they are, where they had been, what was happening in space. About the war, the Galra, Voltron, the lions, the Alteans, quintessence, and a million other things that Earth had no idea about, things that made Shiro so weary, so fast. And after the meeting dragged on for hours, the Garrison agreed that this wasn’t something they could keep private, seeing as it threatened all of Earth, and indeed, the whole universe. So the paladins were immediately pulled into what felt like thousands of interviews, roped into an explanation session by every media outlet ever. Shiro was so tired, and he knew the others were too. They were home, but not in their homes. They wanted to see their families, their loved ones, to let them know that they were alive in person, rather than their families find out by flicking on the television and seeing their children plastered all over the news. But they were the paladins of Voltron, defenders of the universe, warriors and soldiers, and Shiro was their leader. They had a job to do, they held the responsibility of warning Earth, and Shiro was proud of them for keeping their shoulders back, their heads high, and not complaining once.

 

It took a long time, but finally they had given all the interviews, sat through the meetings, negotiated and agreed, and given the chance to take a break. They sat in private for a while, exhausted and leaning against each other, and when Lance cried at finally being back on Earth they just hugged him closer. Nobody mentioned anything at the suspiciously glossy eyes of every other member of the team, anyway. It was mostly silent, even Allura and Coran not talking much. They hadn’t seen much of Earth yet anyway, only glimpsing the blue planet as the entered their solar system and rocketed through the atmosphere, and a glance of the desert that they had landed in.

Eventually a Garrison official walked into the room, and they all lifted their heads up from the pile they had collapsed into.

 

“Your families and closest relatives have been contacted,” the man told them, making them all stiffen and sit up, eyes wide. “We’ve arrived for their fastest transport, they should be here soon.”

“You’re- You’re bringing them _here_?” Hunk asked unsurely. The man nodded.

“Yes, we decided it would be safer, at least for now.” Pidge snorted derisively.

“There’s not much on Earth that could endanger us,” she muttered. The man frowned, and Shiro threw her a look. She was tired and snappy, but he couldn’t be bothered telling her off. He understood why, too - they all wanted to go outside, see their planet again, to go home.

“You’ll be able to travel home soon, tomorrow seems likely,” the man continued. “This is just so we can easily sort out any information and contact details for now. Thank you.” The man turned on his heel and strode out of the room, the door shutting quietly behind him. Shiro flopped down with a huff, closing his eyes.

 

“I just wanna go home,” Lance said quietly next to him. “I haven’t seen the beach in so long.”

“I know, bud. Me too,” Hunk muttered. Shiro sighed.

“Just one more day before you all can. You’ve made it this long, you shouldn’t have to wait any longer and I’m sorry that you do, but your families will be here soon.” He cracked open his eyes, looking at all of them. “I’m proud of you guys, you know?” His team smiled and nodded softly at him.

“Yeah, we know.” Allura cocked her head.

“I must say, I am eager to explore you planet. It seems very beautiful, just from the glimpse we got coming in. There seems to be a lot of sand, though.” Lance grinned, and Keith let out a rare quiet laugh.

“It’s just the desert we’re in, Allura. Earth isn’t all sand,” he assured.

“Yeah, Earth is the prettiest. Wait ‘till you see Cuba,” Lance sighed, stretching back.

They fell into comfortable silence once more, and Shiro was about to let his eyes close once more, when the door flew open with a loud bang. Everybody flinched and jerked upright, frowning at whoever decided to slam so forcefully into the room. They were illuminated by the bright hallway lights outside, but were tall and lean, with their hands clenched by their sides, panting for breath as if they had ran here from the other side of the campus.

Something twisted in Shiro’s throat, and his breath hitched. They were familiar. He knew them.

He was on his feet before his mind even caught up to his legs, staring at the figure. They stared back.

He saw smooth skin, ruffled, light brown hair, and familiar brown eyes staring right into his own.

 

Shiro forgot how to talk, how to breathe - all he could do was stand there and look, drink in the man from his memories, one that for years he hadn’t been certain he’d ever see again. The one person he was so full of regret over, had missed _so fucking much_ that it was unreal.

Adam took a shaky step forward, full of hesitance, shock and uncertainty. His eyes raked over Shiro, taking in every difference: every scar, his new snow white hair, the missing arm.

“S- Shiro?” he stuttered, voice full of some emotion Shiro couldn’t place but knew he was also experiencing. The sound was so familiar that Shiro felt as if he’d been punched - _he’d forgotten what Adam’s voice had sounded like_ \- and he took a deep trembling breath. The others in the room were forgotten, but they sat silently, watching the exchange in apprehension.

“Adam,” Shiro breathed, and then he was stepping forward, out of his trance, and Adam was breaking out towards him, eyes wide and filling with tears, just like Shiro’s were. They collided in the middle, limbs tangling and arms wrapping around each other.

 

Shiro couldn’t believe he was really holding Adam again, hugging him, after years of not seeing him. After so long clinging desperately to the memories of the man he’d wanted to marry, deep in the cells of the Galra prison, in an attempt to block out any thoughts of the battle he’d have to face the next time he stepped into the ring. After so long of thinking about him while staring at the stars, because maybe Earth was in that direction, maybe Adam would be standing there, looking at the sky, thinking of Shiro. After struggling for so long with the knowledge of how they’d left off, a broken engagement because Shiro had just wanted to chase his dream (before it was too late for him to do so) wanted to touch the stars and doing something meaningful for the world before he inevitably left it forever, and Adam had just wanted him to be safe, just wanted him to stay. All that regret and uncertainty and heartbreak, for so long, and here he was, in Shiro’s arms (or, rather, arm), warm and alive and crying.

 

“Adam, Adam, Adam,” Shiro whispered quietly, like a mantra, and buried his face into the other man’s hair, breathing in the scent of familiar shampoo again. He never believed he’d be able to do that again.

“Shiro-” Adam’s fingers curled tightly, almost painfully, into Shiro’s shirt, but Shiro didn’t care. “Takashi, oh my god. You’re here. You’re alive! Oh my god, Takashi.” Shiro could feel tears on his shirt, but that was okay, that was fine because he was crying too, and they were both shaking, but Shiro was just so _relieved_. Adam was here.

 

They clung to each other for a few minutes, just reveling in the fact that they were both alive and safe and together. Eventually, though, they stepped back slightly, taking in each other’s appearance again. Adam’s hands remained on Shiro’s shoulders as he pushed him gently back, eyes wide as his gaze swept over him.

“Oh no, oh Takashi…” he whispered, eyes catching on the missing arm. Shiro looked at the ground, and Adam’s hand gently raised up to brush along the skin just before the arm was separated.

“It’s okay,” Shiro swallowed thickly, “I’m okay.” He lifted his gaze again, just to look at Adam, mapping out his features in his mind, filling back in the blanks and blurs his memory had faltered with. His skin was the same brown colour Shiro remembered, his eyes the same hue even as they welled with tears, and his hair was a little shorter, but still the same. He watched Adam’s hand drift up to brush through Shiro’s own hair, taking in the pale colour, and then down to gently touch the scar on the bridge of his nose.

“What happened to you?” Adam asked, voice quiet and sad.

“It’s a long story,” Shiro answered stiltedly, “and you’ve probably seen some of the interviews by now.” Adam nodded slightly, hands still brushing against his skin, but this wasn’t what Shiro wanted to be saying, wanted to be talking about. He just wanted… what _did_ he want? He and Adam had broken up, but god, he still loved him. He had missed him like no other, and now he was here with Shiro again, staring at him and touching him like he couldn’t believe Shiro was real. Shiro swallowed nervously.

“I missed you,” he whispered, “I missed you so much, Adam.” His vision blurred again, just from the admittance of those words, and he frustratedly blinked his tears away. Adam’s eyes widened, and he sagged in Shiro’s hold.

“I missed you too, Takashi, I missed you more than anything. I thought you were dead, I’m so sorry!” he burst out, and Shiro flinched.

“No, no, why are you sorry? _I’m_ sorry, I-”

“Don’t apologise, it’s-” They both broke off, staring at each other. The tiniest ghost of a smile flitted across Adam’s face, and Shiro suddenly wanted to- but he couldn’t just do that, not without-

“Adam, do… do you still…” Shiro ducked his head, unable to get the words out and suddenly deathly afraid of the answer. But he had to look up through the fluff of white hair to see Adam, see if he understood what Shiro was trying to ask. Adam’s eyes widened.

“Yes, yes I do, of course I do! I never stopped! Takashi- just- please- come here,” he said pleadingly. And then he was cupping Shiro’s face with shaky hands, tugging him ever closer. Shiro’s eyes slid shut as their lips pressed softly together, and he held Adam tightly. The kiss was gentle, mingled with the salty taste of tears and full of sadness and relief, but it was perfect. They broke apart after a few moments, and Shiro grinned uncontrollably, even through the shine of happy tears in his eyes. _He had kissed Adam again_. Adam smiled back at him, full of relief and happiness and love, and Shiro couldn’t resist pulling him back in for another longer, happier kiss.

Behind them, someone that could only be Lance wolf-whistled.

 

Shiro broke away with a laugh, thunking his head down on Adam’s shoulder, who wrapped his arms securely around Shiro’s shoulders, a hand threading through his hair.

“I love you, Adam,” he murmured against Adam’s shirt. The other man tensed minutely below him, and Shiro froze, but Adam quickly relaxed and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“I love you too, Takashi,” he replied, and Shiro hadn’t been this happy in years.

 

“So…” Coran’s unmistakable voice broke through the quiet. “Who’s this, Shiro?” Shiro stayed pressed against Adam for a moment longer, basking in his warmth, before turning to his team and smiling, looping his arm around Adam’s waist. He didn’t want to let go ever again, and if the way Adam pressed into his side was any indication, he thankfully felt the same way.

“Guys, this is Adam. He’s my…” Shiro suddenly trailed off, staring at Adam. What were they? Were they boyfriends again? Did Adam even want that?

“I’m his fiance,” Adam spoke up, smiling at the team, before looking up at Shiro, suddenly unsure. “That is… if you still… want that?” he questioned shyly. Shiro’s eyes widened.

“Yes. Yes! I do, I really, really do!” he blurted. Adam blushed a little and laughed, blowing out a sigh of relief.

 

“Well, nice to meet you, Adam!” Hunk smiled.

“Yeah!” Lance chimed in, finger-gunning. He looked a little bewildered, but Shiro figured that was to be expected, seeing as he’d never actually come out to the team. Keith didn’t look surprised, he just smiled at them. He’d known Shiro and Adam for years.

“Yeah, nice to meet you. Shiro never even told us he had a fiance!” Pidge said, adjusting her glasses. Shiro suddenly hoped desperately that Adam wouldn’t take offence to that - he’d been something that Shiro had held tightly to his heart while he was stuck in space, and they had broken up, so he’d never been able to bring himself to talk about Adam with the others. Thankfully, though, Adam seemed to understand.

“Well, we, uh, we weren’t, for a bit. And I regret that.” He cast a glance up to Shiro again, who smiled gently at him. Then Adam started and his hand shot up to his chest.

 

“Oh!” he exclaimed, fingers flying under the material of his shirt, and he started pulling something out. It was a chain necklace, and on the end hung a shiny silver band. Shiro’s stomach lurched.

“You… you kept it?” he asked, hand slowly coming up to cup the ring. Adam nodded.

“Yeah, I… I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it, and when they told me the Kerberos mission failed, I… well, I put it here. It was comforting, like a reminder of you,” he admitted quietly, averting his gaze. Shiro slumped, still gazing at the ring.

“I don’t have mine anymore, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “The Galra must have taken it when they took me, I didn’t- I didn’t have it with me when I was fighting, or maybe I did at the start, I just- I don’t know, I can’t remember. I’m sorry,” he apologised again, genuinely upset at himself that he hadn’t been able to keep it with him. When he looked at Adam his fiance was staring at him sadly.

“No, Takashi, don’t apologise for not having it. God, I don’t blame you, and I’m definitely not _mad_ , don’t be sorry. Are you okay?” He held Shiro’s face gently, like he was something precious, and Shiro really didn’t think he’d ever get sick of hearing Adam call him Takashi.

 

“Shiro, Adam, I’m very happy for you,” Allura’s polite voice spoke up. “Perhaps we should give them a bit of privacy?” It sounded like somebody was almost about to protest, but then the Princess was herding them all out of the door. Shiro caught her eye and sent her a grateful look; she just smiled tenderly back at him, and closed the door quietly behind her. Shiro turned his focus back to Adam.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Especially now that you’re here,” he joked, and it was cheesy, but it made a glimmer of amusement shine in Adam’s eyes, so it was more than worth it.

 

“What- I mean, if you don’t mind me asking- what happened to you arm?” Adam breathed, fingers trailing lightly across his arm again. Shiro shrugged. He would be self-conscious, but at this point he was used to missing an arm. He was thankful the Galra prosthetic was gone, because he’d hated the reminder it sent him everytime he glimpsed it. He did miss having a working arm, though, so the Olkari had promised to make him one of the highest quality and deliver it to him as soon as possible.

“I don’t really know,” he replied quietly. Adam looked at him in wide-eyed confusion. “I don’t remember. Haggar- she’s this creepy Galran space witch, and basically evil incarnate-” he explained, going for a joking tone that fell a bit too flat, “-she uh. Experimented on me, I guess.” Shiro didn’t really like to talk about it, but after all this, Adam deserved an explanation. “I don’t know if my arm got injured first, so she amputated it, or if she just wanted to play around a bit, but yeah,” he finished lamely. Adam looked sick, face draining of colour. Shiro rushed to cover up, but he wasn’t sure how he could sugar-coat losing half an arm. “I mean, she gave me a prosthetic, it was powerful and full of Galra tech. But that’s gone now. Another, nicer, alien species is gonna make me a new one, though?” He tried. Adam just shook his head and stepped in for a hug, pressing his face into Shiro’s chest.

“God, Takashi… I’m so sorry,” he murmured, closing his eyes and grimacing. Shiro brushed a hand through his hair, and a part of his mind was screaming about the fact that he could do this now.

“S’okay,” he said quietly. Adam took a deep breath.

“And what about the hair then? How’d that switch colours?” he asked, tone a little more light-hearted. Shiro winced.

“Uh, that happened… when Allura… pulled my soul out of the black lion and the Astral Plane after I died and put it back into my dead clone’s body?” he rushed. Adam was completely still for a minute, then stepped back and narrowed his eyes at Shiro.

“You’re kidding, right?” Shiro didn’t reply, and Adam exhaled long and loud.

“I don’t even know how to process that.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.” They stood in silence for a while, before Adam took one more deep breath, as if he was bracing himself for whatever he was about to say.

“What about your disease?” he whispered, voice raspy, and Shiro flinched. “It should have gotten a lot worse by now, we knew it would. But you look- I mean. What _happened_?” he asked, sounding like he was about to cry again. Shiro frowned.

“I think when Haggar exposed me to quintessence in her experiments it helped stop it. Also, the castle had healing pods, which I think took care of the rest of it. And even if it didn’t, Haggar wouldn’t make diseased clones. I’m fine now, Adam, I’m cured. I can do anything. I’m okay.” Adam wrapped his arms around himself, smiling shakily in disbelief.

“What, really? That’s… impossible, but really, nothing seems impossible anymore. I’m so glad,” he smiled at him, eyes sparkling. Shiro’s heart leapt. Adam sniffed, then grinned again, slightly remorseful but full of affection. Shiro thought that if Adam kept looking at him like that, like he loved Shiro more than words could say, then he would go through another intergalactic war just to keep that look on his face.

 

“You don’t know how good it is to see you again, Takashi. I missed you so much, I’m so sorry about what happened before you left.”

“Trust me, I know exactly how good it is to see you again” Shiro smiled. “But no, you don’t have to apologise. That wasn’t on you, it was completely understandable.”

“Still.” Shiro stepped closer, bringing his hand up to cup Adam’s face and gently tilt his head up.

“Hey. I love you, Adam.” Adam smiled at him, and a warm feeling bloomed in Shiro’s chest at the sight.

“Love you too.” Shiro leaned in for another kiss, Adam looped his arms around Shiro’s neck, and they both smiled too much for the kiss to really count. But it was still perfect.

“Y’know, I’m gonna buy you the best engagement ring you’ve ever seen,” Adam whispered against his lips, grinning. Shiro threaded his hands gently through his fiance’s soft hair, pressing a kiss to his cheek, then his other cheek, then his forehead and his nose and back to his lips. He was elated at being able to do that, being able to kiss Adam again and talk to him and know that he was still _loved_.

“I’ll throw you the best wedding you’ve ever seen,” he murmured back, making Adam laugh.

“Only the best for you, darling. You deserve it. I love you,” he replied, pulling Shiro in for a proper kiss, and Shiro didn’t think he’d ever be able to express how happy he was.

After so long, he was finally home.

**Author's Note:**

> come hang out w me on tumblr @starlight-sanders
> 
> Or if you like TAZ/ the McElroys @roselup


End file.
